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Who Arms the Gang Called «Free Syrian Army» By Leonid Savin

The USForeign Policy magazine said in an article devoted to the Syrian situation that NATO intervention in Libya in compliance with the UN sanctions and funded by Qatar can be repeated in Syria now; the USA and its allies are already on the way implementing the scenario by arming the Free Syrian army. The American author views it as pursuing the «responsibility to protect» (1) policy. He’s got enough common sense to conclude that in case of the Syrian situation one wrong decision may lead to really grave consequences.

The European parliament adopted a resolution calling on Russia to immediately stop all arms supplies to Syria on February 16. At the same time the calls to openly deliver weapons to all those who fight to topple Bashar Assad are becoming louder in the USA. Indefatigable John McCain calls to start «arming the opposition». Elliot Adams, an influential American Foreign Policy Council’s member, says the same thing on CNN “I would give them money and I would give them arms».

The calls are made to divert attention. Actually there is no doubt the Barack Obama administration pursues double policy concerning Syria. It supplies the Bashar Assad’s enemies with arms and money through the third countries. The USA has been the biggest arms supplier in the Middle East the recent 20 years, about half of US weapons and equipment export goes to the region.

The most scandalous thing in this game is the connection of the «Free Syrian army» with Islamic terrorists and Western special services. The ‘Free Syrian army» is an armed wing of the Syrian National Council that is opposing the Bashar Assad’s regime and is already recognized by a number of states in the West. Though the ‘army» is presented by the opposition as an organization of deserters from the Syrian armed forces and defectors, it’s just part truth. The Arab mojahideen, who killed US and its allies soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as militants from other countries that went to Syria at the start of the conflict, fill its ranks. Ayman al-Zawahiri, who heads Al-Kaida since recently, called on the muslims of Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and other countries to render any aid needed by their «brothers in Syria».

About 600 «Allah warriors» from the Libyan Al Kaida wing joined the ranks of Turkey based «Free Syrian army» in November last year (2). They were headed by Abdelhakim Belhadj who is a suspect in the Madrid March 11 2004 terrorist acts according to former prime minister of Spain Maria Asnar (3). Al-Mahdi Hatari, a Libyan by origin, who had lived in Ireland till he joined the Al Kaida’s ranks, was seen near the Turkish border. He headed the Tripoli brigade and was number two after Belhadj in the Tripoli’s the Libya Military Council (4). Hatari resigned saying he wanted to return to his wife in Ireland, but went to Turkey instead to go to Syria as a militants group commander (5). Thierry Meyssan writes that Hatari has ties with a Libyan militant’s group that is included in the US terrorist organizations list. He was on board of the Mavi Marmara among pro Palestinian activists (US secret services agents were among the flotilla’s delegates) in June 2010 (6). He was wounded by the Israeli special forces attacking the ship and spent nine days behind bars in Israel. He was set free afterwards.

The Jihadists internet forums provide a lot of information about militants and arms flow to Syria to be used against the government. It comes from neighboring countries and Turkey. For instance the Ansar al-Mujahedeen (7) website, an international militants voice (including Russian wahhabi militants videos), started to call for jihad in Syria. One of the forum writers nicknamed Nasr al-Din al-Hosni says emir Abu Usamah al-Mojahar (8) died at the Iraq-Syria border while involved in ammunition transfers. On February 12 Hamam Said representing the Muslim brothers in Jordan also called for jihad against the Syrian government, saying joining the ranks of the «Free Syria army» was an «Islamic duty».

Efraim Halevy, former head of the Mossad, the Israeli secret service, calls Syria an Achille’s heel of Iran (9) He says the country is a beachhead for spreading its influence. Kind of a «mini Comintern» is functioning there including Hezbollah, the main force in Lebanon now, and Hamas, the organization that controls the Gaza strip. On February 7 Andrew Quinn, a Reuter’s Washington correspondent, called Syria a place of conflict between the West and Arab countries on one side and Russia and Iran on the other (10).

Militant terrorist groups are the main force of those who apply efforts to destroy Syria after doing the same thing in Libya. The Report of the League of Arab States Observer Mission to Syria (11)012 and ignored by the West, says there is no government organized repression against peaceful protesters leading to losses of live but the armed gangs explode transport, state offices, bridges and communications. They are directly responsible for civilian deaths.

On February 16 The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that the Syrian city of Idlib was seized by [an] armed gang. The information was received from Russia citizens living in the city that is situated in the North-West of the country not far from the Turkish border.